Funny Games

Apr 4 2008 by Evening Chronicle

IGNORANCE is bliss when it comes to Michael Haneke’s update to his explosive 1997 film of the same name.

Remade virtually shot for shot, Funny Games is a violent and provocative thriller about a normal family facing the ordeal of a home invasion.

The Austrian writer-director transplants the brutality from Europe to a picturesque lakeside home in Long Island, an ominously tranquil setting for the sadistic mind games that leave us teetering on the edge of our seats... so long as you haven’t been scared witless by the original.

The film’s impact depends on the element of surprise, so fans of the 1997 version will find this new Funny Games an almost pointless facsimile.

There’s a stronger female influence, with Naomi Watts’ incendiary performance leaving screen husband Tim Roth firmly in the shadows.

Anna (Watts), George (Roth) and their young son Georgie (Gearheart) arrive at their summer retreat. Father and son renovate the family’s sailboat while Anna prepares lunch, only to be interrupted by Peter (Corbet), who has been sent from next door for some eggs.

Anna feels increasingly uncomfortable in the stranger’s presence and is glad when George, Georgie and Peter’s friend Paul (Pitt) arrive, but soon her mounting dread is realised.

Stomachs churn with each explosion of violence as the family tries to escape its predicament.

Watts delivers a tour de force performance as the embattled mother, while Pitt and Corbet are deliciously evil in their roles as the hunters, who delight in goading their prey.

Their motivation is never explained. Nothing is more chilling than the unknown.

(18, 111 mins) Thriller. Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Devon Gearheart, Robert Lupone, Linda Moran

SWEARING, NO SEX, VIOLENCE